Wednesday, March 20, 2013

For 12 years we sat in captivity discussing life on the
other side. We talked about knights on noble steeds, of frolicking in fields of
flowers and envisioned ourselves saving the world. We all plotted how we’d make
our millions and suffered endless nights dreaming about what we’d do with
our freedom.

We really all ought to be frolicers....

When it (freedom) finally came we suddenly forgot our plans.
We fled across the world – to Kuwait and England and the states and
Naboomspruit and Pretoria. Some of us never found that noble knight. Some never
frolicked in fields. Most of us never
made our millions. And most of us still dream about what we will do with our
freedom… even though it’s already here.

Ten years ago, as I sat in school (yes, that was a whole 10
years ago), I had no idea what exactly I wanted to do with my life. I had no
idea where I was headed or even who I was. If you’d ask me about travel or jobs
or friends, there’s no way I would have foreseen myself gypsying about four
continents, or meeting so many many exceptionally awesome people, or eating
strange delicacies, or accomplishing so many things that seemed impossible at the time, or sailing across an ocean, or finishing degrees, or
running companies or being who I am today.

I never dreamed it possible to cycle across countries...

Strange delicacies the first

Somewhere in Australia...

One night in a trolley... I never thought I'd choose to hang out with kiwis

I never thought that donating blood could actually be fun (actually, I need to donate again, anyone want to join??)

I even survived dangerous encounters with wild creatures

I've seen more beautiful places than school me ever dreamed of seeing

I fail to be surprised by the people I meet...

Strange delicacy the second

I've even had the privaledge of getting to know all the sesame street characters personally

But the past 10 years have by far been the best years of my
life. And each year blows my mind more
than the previous one (I do hope this carries on forever – although I may have
had too much goodness too early in life). And 10 years later, I still don’t
know what I want to do with my life or where I am headed, or even who I
am. But I’m actually okay with that.

I took the train to work on Monday and was bombarded with
offers for penis enlargements and cheap abortions and marriage spells. A
preacher on the train shouted that the answer was God and a sangoma (witch
doctor) assured us it was in fact inyanga – both supposedly cure everything –
but the latter is only available at select back-alley pharmacies and costs
money. God can be found anywhere and is available 24/7.

So many of us focus on the negative. We forget that we have
freedom. We forget how far we have come. We sit and worry about our problems
(just one train ride assured me that they are very easy to resolve, no matter
how big or small) and limit ourselves because we forget that all things are
possible. We forget that we can only change the present. We accept life the way
it is either because it’s comfortable or because we worry that if we change
something we will make it worse.

Life is short and it is meant to be awesome. It doesn’t
matter who you are, where you’ve been or what your problems are – the only
person who can start to turn your life about is you. Remember that dreamer you
were in younger years and then go and make those dreams a reality.

Monday, March 11, 2013

Whilst I’ve changed my opinion on pirates, tomatoes and the
meaning of life; I’ve always been a firm believer in the fact that all things
are possible [except roller skating backwards through a revolving door while
juggling knives and killer clawed kittens].

Everyone said it was impossible to drive from London to Mongolia in a tin-canish car.... But...

I never dreamed it possible to lug a ginormous teddy about for more than a year and I thought my ability to cycle across countries even less likely... but...

As a kid I believed that humans could fly. I started a
flying academy and whilst all the teachers thought it was cute that a bunch of
people would chase me around the field flapping their arms; the hardest part of
the academy was finding things high enough to jump off, devising flying contraptions
(plastic bag parachutes, umbrellas, cardboard wings, etc), and [the hardest
part:] coming up with feasible cover stories for parents and teachers when height
+ failed contraption = unfortunate incident/sprainage/breakature. I still
believe humans can fly…

and no, sky diving doesn't count...

Similarly I still believe that sailing a self-built raft
across oceans is still possible (even if the first attempt was very unsuccessful).
I still believe that I will lick a president some day (I’ve lost track of my
failure tallies on this one). I still believe that someday I will have an
empire… I still believe that I can successfully complete even the most unlikely
challenges on my bucket list….

….But I had a grave revelation this week…. it only took 28
years to discover it….

I moved to Cape Town last Saturday to start a new job 8-30am
on Sunday. Lack of transport options led
me to rekindle my hatred of the bicycle; cycling 20km in each direction between
a house on a hill and a job on a far massiver hill. Fortunately my job involves
swinging in the trees and making and keeping people happy (and a bunch of more
boring admin/ managerial jumbo) – but it’s a taxing vocation that, combined
with the lack of cycling fitness [or any fitness for that matter] in my life,
and the need for a social life, and ever-present insomniacishness; has made
this the most taxing week of my life!

The typical first day of work bruise

It's a lot less purple now, but it now bends in two very different directions

As I cycled home on Saturday night after 6 days straight of
9 hour shifts with a broken toe, the wind blew me off my bicycle and onto the pavement shortly before
a bird decided to expel its lunch on me on me and I burst into tears when it suddenly hit me…

…and I really don’t like this realization at all, or the
ramifications of it…

….and I don’t know how this will affect the ’all things are
possible’ philosophy…

Friday, March 1, 2013

It's amazing how life rolls on... One random Chapter after the next....

CHAPTER 1- Growing Up

Back in 1984

1984 -1980somrtthing

Also in the 80s

CHAPTER 2 - Growing a brain

This is not actually me... it's just a random kid I found on the interweb

2002 - The last day of school

CHAPTER 3 - Becoming a Grown Up

I've lost my actual university certificates.... but this one's just about as important

CHAPTER 4 - Moving Out

2005 - The housemates.... some of them at least

CHAPTER 5 - Becoming a Gypsy

2007 - The East Coast of Africarish Trip

CHAPTER 6 - Pretending to be European

2008 - Moving to London Land

CHAPTER 7 - Going Places

2009 - A little drive from London to Mongolia

CHAPTER 8 - Thinking of Growing Up

2010 - Getting a job again and contemplating resouthafricanising

I even acquired some grownupy clothes

CHAPTER 9 - Going Down Under

2010 - 2011... In the land of Aus

CHAPTER 10 - The Ultimate Gypsy

And this last chapter's been a rediculous one...

Jan 2012 - Building the beloved raft, the Illegal Immigrant

Feb 2012 - Joining a biker Gang

March 2012 - Cycling across South East Asia

May 2012 - Hitching across China

June 2012 - Sailing across the Indian Ocean

And just like that the chapter end... And tomorrow I start a whole new one. I fly to my new home, Cape Town and come Sunday I become a real person, with a job...

It's funny how life goes really - in every chapter you meet amazing people that shape your life and live out crazy experiences that change your life.

I've never been more terrified at the start of a new chapter... this one will be called "CHAPTER 11 - Real Life" - and that might just be the scariest thing I've ever done.... But it will be awesome. Every chapter is.

Follow the Adventure

A Little Bit About Me

Tired of mundane routine, of traffic jams, and of shoes; I adopted a flipping massive teddy bear, a backpack and an anything goes philosophy and began life as a Part Time Professional Gypsy (PTPG)... A life where you never know what could possibly happen next.... A life where you never know exactly what it is you're eating... A life where you never know where or when your next shower will be... A life full of stars and goats and smiles and adventures. A life of epicness.